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Eli Bolus, News

Speech team accomplishes FC best at state finals

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By Eli Bolus and Jared Murray

 

This past weekend, the FC speech team produced three state finalists: junior Chase Dyer, senior Clayton Cassidy and senior Paige Settles, who went on to place fourth in the state in Impromptu Speaking and Extemporaneous Speaking.

Both Settles and the team placed fourth this year. The state meet uses a sweepstakes system, awarding a higher amount of points to individuals who place higher. The points are then tallied together and the team that garners the most points is awarded first.

While this is the third time Settles has qualified for state, it is the best the team has ever done as a whole, said speech coach Wallace Austin.

“Everybody predicted Paige would break into finals, but none of us really expected to place so high,” said sophomore Sarah Henry.

Settles had a lot to say about her numerous state appearances.

“By the end of the day I was really tired. It was very cut-throat,” said Settles about this year’s state competition.

While some might think that numerous awards and state appearances would be the best part of being a member of such a successful program, Settles had this to say: “[My favorite part about speech] is how much I’ve changed as a person.”

Settles is not the only thing changing on the team. The upcoming season marks the loss of numerous seniors who have helped to shape the program during their time at FC.

“We are losing Paige, who is our team captain and a really great leader, so that will change a lot of things on the team next year” said Henry. Also graduating are AJ Adams, Brittany Bowen, and Cassidy.

Although the season is over for the speech team, preparation have already begun. “People have already started writing or choosing speeches to present next year,” said Henry.

Austin is preparing by sponsoring a rummage sale to raise funds for next year’s season and an upcoming trip to nationals in Indianapolis.  The sale will take place April 28 and donations will be accepted.

 

 

 

A&E, Alyssa Book, Blake Dykes, Weekly Playlist

Weekly Playlist: Back to Reality

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By Alyssa Book, Blake Dykes, and Jared Murray

This week A&E has made a playlist that will hopefully make this week back from spring break more bearable!

1) “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor

2) “Glad You Came” by The Wanted

3) “Another Sunny Day” by Belle and Sebastian

4) “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz

5) “Life Is a Highway” by Rascal Flatts

6) “My Body” by Young The Giant

7) “Soak Up the Sun” by Sheryl Crow

8) “Good Life” by OneRepublic

9) “Boyfriend” by Justin Bieber

10) “Lonely Boy” by The Black Keys

11) “Slight Figure of Speech” by The Avett Brothers

A&E

Madonna remains relevant with MDNA

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By Jared Murray

Madonna’s twelth studio album may not be what everyone expects from the 53-year-old material girl. After delving into every genre of pop one could think, MDNA finds Madonna fully committed to the genre of danceable synth-pop, like her 2005 release Confessions on a Dance Floor. Despite this sonic territory being occupied by much younger, more relevant pop stars, the queen of pop manages to sound just as youthful as her competition, while adding the wisdom of a pop music veteran.

MDNA wastes no time getting into club mode; album opener “Girl Gone Wild” opens with a spoken word verse where Madonna speaks of regretting her sins, all backed by synthetic strings. Once finished, the song morphs into a throbbing, synth-heavy anthem calling out to girls to have some fun in the club. The lyrics may not be stimulating, but the music more than makes up for it.

Sadly, the bulk of the album rarely strays from any combination of characteristics found in “Girl Gone Wild”: playful bass lines, cliché lyrics and sedated vocals are the foundation of the album. However, Madonna and her producers are smart enough to know when this gets to repetitive; for every trite verse she sings there is an equally exciting synth flourish or guest verse; for every repetitive chorus, an interesting break down or middle eight verse comes to save the track from becoming monotonous.

Lyrically, however, the album falls short on multiple levels. One would think that after multiple decades in the business, Madonna could pen more stimulating or original lyrics. There are moments where her lyrics do shine, such as track “Falling Free” and the spoken verse found in “Girl Gone Wild,” but the majority of the tracks are subject to overdone and even reductive lyrics about love. It seems though that the material girl is more concerned with getting back into the game rather than reinventing it as she has done so many times before.

In spite of this, the final two tracks of the album are where Madonna really shines, lyrically and sonically. The first song, entitled “Masterpiece,” is a somber, midi-tempo ballad about being in love with a seemingly perfect person you can only look at. The minimalist production serves as the perfect contrast to the first part of the album, and makes the track both refreshing and enjoyable. Album closer “Falling Free” is another mid-tempo track full of refined string accents and vocal harmonies. Madonna’s vocals are light and pristine, and the lyrics are an age appropriate take on a relationship that just didn’t work. Both “Falling Free” and “Masterpiece” add much needed lyrical and emotional maturity to the album, and prevent it from becoming a generic pop album.

While not as revolutionary as one would hope, MDNA is most definitely a solid effort from an icon who certainly knows how to stay relevant.

Download: “Girl Gone Wild” “Gang Bang” “Masterpiece” “Falling Free”

A&E

Cynthia Hand makes the imagination run wild in ‘Unearthly’

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By Lauren Holstner

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand is an amazing story about angel bloods. Angel bloods are people who either have an angel or half angel for a parent.  Each angel blood is put on earth for a purpose, and they have wings that they can call from nowhere and powers beyond belief.

When Clara Gardner learns she was an angel blood, she gets a vision of her purpose, sending her whole family from California to Wyoming, where she is supposed to go to a raging forest fire and meet a mysterious boy, though things start turning upside down and spin out of control.

From the beginning to end, I could not set this book down. Its details are amazing and every page leaves readers wanting more.  This story is marvelous, one of the best books I have read in a long time.  The story line is filled with hilarious teenage problems, and being a new student at a new school comes into the mix and makes it even richer in detail.

This book will leave you craving more, and it helps that this is the first in the series.  Even the cover of the book is enticing; I would never have read this if the cover hadn’t drawn me to it. I loved this book and I think anyone who loves to read should read it, too.

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Teens take action through internet phenomenon

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By Bekah Landers and Jared Murray

A 30-minute Youtube video, tons of Twitter posts, posters, bracelets, buttons, election signs; the Kony 2012 movement is not only sweeping the nation but almost every country, thanks to word of mouth, internet posts, and celebrity promotions that reach from Oprah Winfrey to Justin Bieber.

The Invisible Children organization sponsers the KONY 2012 movement. Invisible Children is a California based non-profit organization that strives to inform the community about the stories from the African civilians in an attempt to end the longest running armed conflict in Africa. With the movement having exploded onto the internet and other media bases, some FC students are also attempting to get involved.

Junior Ted Hartog is one of those students who are trying to help raise awareness.

“The Invisible Children movement’s intentions are to send U.S. troops to aide the Ugandan army and we have yet to raise enough awareness,” said Hartog.
The movement will feature several events that intend to raise even more awareness. An upcoming event to raise awareness is called “Blanket the Night.” This will involve posting signs all over any local city on April 20. Another event is a dance marathon in late November. If one can not attend these events there are other options online readers can participate in to help the cause.
“Posting the video, tweeting #KONY2012, and visiting the website helps raise awareness,” said Hartog. “You can also buy the action kit online from the Kony 2012 website.”
With the rapid growth of this movement, criticism and controversy has arised. The Invisible Children budget plan has been heavily scrutinized, and the effectivness of the organization itself has been questioned. With the detainment of the creator of the Kony 2012 video new criticism and mocking of the Invisible Children has become more common than ever.
Despite the criticism circulating about the organization, Hartog offers advice on what to do when one makes a decision on which side of the story they believe.
“I think that anyone who supports should educate themselves on both sides. Don’t blindly follow one side of the facts,” said Hartog.
Senior Evan Pearce has a different view than Hartog.
“I don’t think America should be the world’s policemen. We’ve gone to many other countries for things like this and it never ends well,” said Pearce.
The internet has made this cause known, through a vast variety of tactics and approaches. Views on the internet takeover are differed.
“I think a lot of the people supporting it are really uneducated on the cause. Most of them don’t understand the problems our own country is going through. We’re in a huge economic recession with a skyrocketing debt and numerous social issues. The supporters are too busy worrying about problems in other countries to focus on the problem here,” said Pearce.
Needless to say, the views on the Kony 2012 movement differ. With legal allegations and a worrisome financial plan, the movement will give everyone a different view on helping out.
“America is not a perfect people or a perfect country, so it doesn’t make sense to me that we’re trying to help every other country besides ourselves,” said Pearce.